Locations & Times

Dressed in the garments of fear and shame, I stood outside the town gate. Hundreds of people were expected to arrive at any moment. The air was filled with aromas of wood fires, freshly baked bread, and fish. Folk music played in the background as women wove and local blacksmiths forged tools and weapons. There I stood, determined, desperate, and alone.

As voices grew louder and the noise drew closer, my heart raced. I could hear thundering footsteps echoing across the dusty landscape. The rush of movement merged with the rhythmic thump of my pounding heart. The pungent aroma of livestock confirmed that the crowd was drawing nearer. This was the moment I’d waited for … for twelve years.

The crowd entered the town. People were laughing and shouting, while others were walking and running. Fear surged to the forefront of my emotions and began to wrestle with the desperate hope I had of being healed of my bleeding. I felt weak and fragile, yet I was determined to touch the garment of Jesus. I believed with all my heart that if I could just touch His cloak I would be healed.

Seconds later, Jesus came into view. He walked with humility and spoke with authority. This was the moment: Do I dare risk my life to touch Him?

My body began to shake and tremble. With what little strength I had left, I walked up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched His cloak. Immediately, my bleeding stopped.

Jesus stopped, turned around, and asked, “Who touched me?”

“You see the people crowding around you,” I overheard His disciples say, “yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

But Jesus kept looking around. He wasn’t searching; He was waiting. Waiting for me to respond.

I mustered enough strength to walk toward Him. I fell at His feet. Trembling, I told Him the whole truth. Everything.

Jesus listened. He saw beyond my frailty and weakness. He knew everything about me. He knew about my constant bleeding, my deep sorrow, and my daily suffering.

Jesus broke the silence, saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

I was overwhelmed. All I could do was weep. I reached for Jesus as a sick, unclean outcast, and He healed me and called me His Daughter. He gave me a new story, a new hope, and a new identity. In a moment, He had radically transformed my life.

“Thank you, LORD, thank you, LORD,” I repeated through my sobs.

My heart ached as I watched Jesus walk away. I overheard Him talking with His disciples about going to help someone else, someone whose daughter was ill.

Standing to my feet, I realized that Jesus didn’t call me by my shame; He called me by a new name: Daughter. I was seen, heard, and deeply loved. I was embraced in the fullness of love, healed and whole, renamed, and reassigned.

All the years were redeemed in the presence of Jesus. I found what I had been searching so desperately for in Jesus. He set me free, and I was free indeed (John 8:36; NIV).

What has driven you to search endlessly and desperately for healing, answers, and relief? God also desires to heal the wounded areas in your life through your faith in Jesus. For it is only in the presence of Jesus that you will find the deep love, comfort, and healing you seek. God is patiently waiting for you to walk toward Him, reach out to Him, and trust that He can transform your life today.

If this encouraged you, check out more articles from our Flatirons Spiritual Formation Team for practical tools, encouragement, and ways to grow in your faith and leadership. Click here.